In order to create various light effects and mood lighting in connection with concerts, live shows, TV shows, sport events, or as part of architectural installations, light fixtures creating various light effects are getting more and more appreciated in the entertainment industry. Typically, entertainment light fixtures create a light beam having a beam width and a divergence and can for instance be wash/flood light fixtures creating a relatively wide light beam or projecting fixtures configured to project images onto a target surface.
Projecting light fixtures typically comprise one or more optical gates illuminated by an illumination device, and an optical projecting system is configured to collect light passing through the optical gate along a primary optical axis. A beam-shaping object is often arranged at the optical gate, or near the optical gate, and is used to shape the light beam. The optical gate can be delimited by an aperture, however it is to be understood that a physical aperture can be omitted and that the beam shaping device also can constitute an aperture. The beam shaping object can be used to create midair effects (visible due to light scattering in/on smoke/haze in the air) where the shape of the light beam in midair is defined by the beam shaping object and/or the beam shaping object can create a light pattern which is projected to and imaged on a target surface. The beam shaping object can be any object capable of modifying the light beam and can, for instance, be static or dynamic GOBOs, animation wheels, frost filters, color filters, prisms, framing blades, iris, textured glass or other aspects known in the art of light design. The beam shaping objects can be used as static objects arranged in the light beam and/or as movable objects which are moved in relation to the light beam in order to create a dynamic light effect. Additionally, it is known to use digital imaging devices such as dot-matrix-displays (DMDs), Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) or the like as beam shaping objects whereby the projected light beam can be used in a digital projector, for instance, in order to project graphical images and/video signals onto a screen.
Light designers and programmers want as many effects as possible in a lighting apparatus, as this gives the light designer and programmers many options when creating light shows. However, it is difficult to provide lighting apparatus with many effects as each kind of light effect components take up space in the lighting apparatus. Especially, it is difficult to provide many beam shaping objects in projecting light devices as the beam shaping objects need to be positioned in a focal point (the optical gate) of the optical system, and typical optical systems are only capable of focusing in a very limited area. At the same time, it is also desired to have light and compact light fixtures which are easier and more variably to handle. Additionally, light designers and programmers also want new light effects which can be used to create light shows.
Therefore, the need exists for an improved method for operating an illumination device, and an improved illumination device, capable of creating a high number of new light effects, which can be variably and independently controlled.